These Are The Worst States To Make A Living

The halting economic recovery in the years since the Great Recession has created hardships for many American workers, but people in some areas have had it much worse than others.

While the employment conditions in some states are relatively strong, others continue to feel the effects of low wages, high inflation, unemployment and rising taxes.

For the third consecutive year, MoneyRates.com has ranked the best and worst states for making a living.

Quantitative factors used in this study include average wage and unemployment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, cost of living data from C2ER (formerly ACCRA) and state tax information from Tax-Rates.org. This quantitative analysis was then adjusted for qualitative workplace conditions, according to each state's Workplace Environment ranking in the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index poll.